In a short period of time since its inception in 2006, QNRF has managed to establish good visibility and has extended its reach within research communities both in Qatar and internationally. QNRF has completed three cycles of its flagship National Priorities Research Program (NPRP), which has provided more than US$230m to fund 266 research projects, involving more than 620 researchers, with approximately half originating from Qatar and the other half from more than 30 different countries. On September 14th 2010, QNRF commenced the fourth cycle of the NPRP, receiving more than 690 proposals. We expect to announce the awards in the second quarter of 2011.

Children learn and practice their vocabulary through interaction with parents and friends as well as through formal instruction at school. However, for deaf children, sign language is the main method of communication. Despite the importance of strong vocabulary skills for understanding text, effective verbal communication and integration into society, the average deaf student graduates from American high schools with a fourth grade reading level. This can be partially attributed to the fact that 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who are rarely fluent in sign language.

In an effort to promote research culture in Qatar and unlock the nation's capacity to discover and achieve, the Director of the Education Institute at the Supreme Council of Education (SEC), Sabah Al-Haidoos and Dr. Abdul Sattar Al-Taie Executive Director of Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), signed a Memorandum of Understanding on QNRF's latest funding initiative, the Secondary School Research Experience Program (SSREP).

Dr. Nesrin Ozalp is assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Sustainable Energy Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University at Qatar. She is the principal investigator of a number of research projects concerning cutting edge research on solar hydrogen production with zero emissions.